Five Years, Without Meaning

I stood upstairs, leaning against the guardrail, looking down at the living room below. Damien sat on the sofa with Selene, the two of them joking around with laughter that sounded so light. Now and then, Damien would feed Selene pieces of fruit and snacks, while she smiled indulgently as if enjoying the attention.

My chest felt tight. I was like a stranger in my own home. None of them were aware of my existence, or perhaps they were deliberately ignoring me.

I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the increasingly heavy feeling in my chest. I didn't want to care, I didn't want to think about it. But with each passing day, Damien's treatment made it clear that I was sure of my choice.

***

In the morning, I sat on the living room sofa, staring at the television screen, trying to enjoy myself. Just as I was about to take a sip of hot tea, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching.

"I made you some coffee," Selene said, holding out the coffee. "I remember Damien saying that you like black coffee without sugar." She said again as she smiled meaningfully at me.

I raised my face, looking at her with furrowed brows. 'What? Black coffee without sugar? Does Damien want to kill me? Doesn't he know that I'm allergic to it?'

Selene smiled a sweet, fake smile. “I just wanted to get closer to you. After all, we live in the same house now," she said shamelessly.

I snorted. "Don't joke around, Selene! I'm allergic to coffee and Damien knows it," I said with a glare.

"Oh, my God. How could Damien forget this? Why does he only remember what I like and what I don't? It hurts, Althea," she said with a sad face then smiled slyly and pulled the coffee back towards her.

Hearing that, my heart hurt.

"If there's nothing important, then leave! I don't want to be disturbed," I shooed her away with my eyes fixed on the television screen.

Selene chuckled casually. "I just want to chat like yesterday. You don't mind, do you?"

I paused. What did she say? Chatting. Instead, yesterday she accused me of pushing her. What a sneaky woman.

Selene played with her coffee cup, still standing. "I still remember, Damien used to bring me coffee every morning. He never forgot the measure. If I was sick, he would feed me himself, without me asking," she said, smiling so broadly. I don't know what she was thinking.

I gripped my cup tightly.

"Ah, and I also remember how he always rubbed my head before going to bed," she continued, her voice made soft. "You know, that habit never changed. Except..." She looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Does he still do that to you?" he asked without finishing his sentence.

I stood up, feeling disgusted by his talk. "I'm not interested in hearing about your past with Damien."

Selene smiled smugly and then said, "Why, do you feel disrespected by him?"

I gave her a sharp look and said back, "I just feel sorry for you, Selene. You came back and thought you could take everything away from me. But in reality, you're just a pathetic woman who can't let go of the past."

Suddenly her smile disappeared. Her eyes narrowed, full of hatred.

Suddenly, before I could move, she shouted so loudly that I was startled.

I was wide-eyed as I saw Selene drop her coffee cup into her hands, the hot coffee pouring out as she continued to scream in pain. As if that wasn't enough, she quickly threw herself to the floor, her forehead hitting the side of the chair with a loud thud.

I was startled, but before I could help her, the sound of quick steps could be heard.

"Selene!"

Damien ran towards her, his face filled with worry. He immediately knelt, examining Selene's reddened hands and forehead.

I opened my mouth, wanting to explain, but Selene burst into tears first, saying, "I just wanted to bring Althea some coffee. But she got angry and poured it on me and pushed me."

My eyes widened. "What? That's not true! She-"

A hard slap landed on my cheek.

I jerked back. Stinging ran down my face, but what hurt more was the fact that Damien had slapped me, without hearing my explanation.

"Althea! You've gone too far!" Her voice trembled with anger. "Selene was just recovering, and you hurt her instead."

"Damien, I don't-"

"I know you don't like her, but just because I didn't make breakfast for you yesterday and bring Selene here, you got angry and took it out on Selene? Are you out of your mind?" he said with a sharp glint in his eyes.

I fell silent, my chest tightening.

Damien grasped Selene's shoulders, helping her up. "I won't let you keep hurting her."

I held back the pain in my lip that had been split by his slap. "You trust her like that, Damien?"

He gave me a hateful look. "I should have realized from the start, that you're not a good woman, Althea."

I didn't have time to react when Damien pushed me to the floor. My head hit the table hard. The pain was immediate before everything went black.

Before I lost consciousness, I could still hear Selene sobbing and Damien frantically calling her name.

Not my name. But the name of the woman who had ruined everything.